Months before the 2016 presidential election, Alternet writer Adam Johnson used the term “copraganda” to describe any media story that “that uncritically advances a police department’s image or helps undermine reform efforts.” The same label can be applied to the way film and television have carefully sculpted the way we view law enforcement for nearly a century. Rookie cops, hero cops, crooked cops, buddy cops, supernatural cops, even a series devoted to a “Maniac Cop.” Filmmakers like David Ayer have practically built careers out of rehashing the “dirty cop” story in films like “Training Day” and “End of Watch.” Networks have flooded our TV screens for decades with stories like “Dragnet,” “Law & Order,” NYPD Blue,” “C.S.I.,” and enough spin-offs, reboots, and copycats to fill its own streaming channel (please, don’t actually do this).

Continue reading 25 Essential Films About Corrupt Cops & Police Brutality at The Playlist.

Nothing busts canons quite like living in interesting times. In our ongoing Inflection Point series, we look back at the films that have taken on new relevance due to our ongoing cultural and political upheaval. Some beloved, some undiscovered, these titles deserve newfound consideration as film criticism evolves to meet the moment.

As acts of police violence have played out across social media and the nightly news, audiences have begun to rethink their relationship with cop movies.

Continue reading ‘Narc’: Revisiting Joe Carnahan’s Story About The Fallout Of Police Violence at The Playlist.

Continue reading Zac Efron Is A ‘Narc,’ Zach Braff Adds Kate Hudson To ‘Wish I Was Here’ at The Playlist.